Change of Hearts
by cmar
Summary: PRWF: When Jindrax and Toxica set out to find themselves, they had no idea that their greatest adventure was only beginning.
1. Orgs Don't Cry

All characters belong to Disney now and Saban at the time. No money being made here.

**A/N:** This is basically just an idea I got while wondering what might have happened to Jindrax and Toxica after they disappeared down that road near the end of Wild Force. It's got a little bit of drama, a little fantasy, a little romance, a little humor, a little angst. I've probably bent canon here and there, but I don't think there's anything that directly contradicts it. Spoilers for the end of the series, by the way!

* * *

Orgs Don't Cry

- - -

Looking back, he knew exactly when the change happened.

They had watched the battle from a hilltop overlooking Turtle Cove. It was a strange sight: a hundred glowing orbs floating over the distant rooftops, illuminating a towering form that could only be Master Org, somehow risen from the dust and sand he had crumbled into. For a moment Jindrax felt a twinge of guilt - but no, he and Toxica owed nothing to the master who had used and betrayed them. This was no longer their fight; in fact they had every reason to hope the Rangers won.

A dazzling burst of rainbow lights blazed, and the distant, massive form vanished into it. Moments later a single, brilliant beam cut the sky, one they had seen all too many times before. The explosion he expected came, and...

Jindrax gasped and reeled as pain shot through every nerve in his body, a pain as if he was being taken apart limb by limb and organ by organ, every cell created anew and put back together again. When he opened his eyes he saw Toxica with her hands clenched to her chest, her mouth a square of shock, and realized the agonized cry he dimly remembered hearing had been hers. "What was _that_?" he managed to ask in a faint croak.

The response was slow to come. "The Org Heart..." Toxica said hesitantly.

"I thought that was just a legend. You mean it's real?"

"It _was_ real." Her face was pale and dazed as she looked in the direction of the city. "Master Org must have succeeded in summoning it. It's the only way he could have become so powerful. And - the Rangers must have destroyed it."

Jindrax peered into the now-dark distance also, and then back at his companion. "The legend says if the Org Heart is destroyed, all the Orgs in the world will be destroyed with it."

"Yes." Toxica's voice was very small and quiet. "We have no hearts of our own, so we all share the Org Heart. Without it..."

"But we're still here."

"Yes, we're still here. I guess that part really is just a legend." Toxica's shoulders rose and fell in a sigh before she smiled and turned away from Turtle Cove. "Come on. We're still alive, and we have a whole world to explore. Let's go."

"I'm with you, Toxica!"

But as they started on their way again he saw her look over her shoulder, just for a moment, with what he couldn't help thinking was unease.

- - -

He should have started to worry the next day, but it seemed like such a little thing, and they both had bigger questions to think about.

"So what's the plan, Toxica?"

"The plan?" Her brows drew together in a frown as she glanced at him. "We travel. After waiting around here for Master Org for three thousand years, I could use a change of scene."

"Yeah, me too. But what about after that? Disguise ourselves and live among the humans again?"

Toxica shrugged impatiently. "I don't know. Why does it have to be _me_ who comes up with a plan?"

"You're the brains of this outfit, remember?" As she gave him a look he backtracked. "Okay, okay, you're not the brains." That got him a worse look. "Uhh, never mind."

"Hmmf. Jindrax..." Toxica stopped and swept a graceful arm around them to indicate the fields they were walking through under a blue sky dotted with a few white clouds. "Look at this. Look at the way the wind makes the grass ripple like water. Look at the trees in the distance, so green and - and alive. Smell the scent of flowers in the air, listen to the birds singing, feel the sun on your face." She chuckled. "Well, maybe not that last part, for you. Anyway, we've been stuck in a cave for far too long. Can't we spend some time just enjoying ourselves without worrying about the future?"

"Sure, Toxica, sure." He looked at her in some surprise, trying to see the expression under her veil. "I didn't think an Org could be so poetic."

"Things have changed."

Jindrax tilted his face up as they started on their way again. Toxica was right; it was a beautiful world. Funny he had never noticed before. In fact - must be his imagination, but he could swear he felt the sunlight, even through the hard mask-like surface of his face.

- - -

And he really, really should have gotten some idea of the truth that morning a few days later.

Jindrax came back to consciousness slowly, wondering for a moment where he was as he stared up at the rocky surface over him. Back in the Master's cave? No. No, this was the cave he and Toxica had found and decided to stay in for a while. Caves were familiar, after all, and he had felt almost at home. But now...

"Oh, man," he complained as he sat up. "My _back_! What's wrong with this place? Our old cave floor never felt so hard!"

"Or so cold." Toxica was already up, kneeling a few feet away and watching him. "I cast a spell to warm it up in here."

"It didn't work so well." Jindrax climbed to his feet and stretched. "How about a spell to summon some food? I'm hungry."

"I did that too." Toxica nodded down to the ground before her, where Jindrax noticed a bent, splintered wooden plate with a pile of crumbling bread and a few lumps of something looking only vaguely edible on it.

"That's it? Toxica, old girl, you're losing your touch."

"If you don't want it..." She raised her hands in the air over the plate.

"No! I'm so hungry I could eat a human." He grabbed at the food, bit off a hunk of dry, stale bread and took a more tentative nibble at the - whatever it was. It was spongy and tasteless. "Mmm, delicious!" he exclaimed.

Toxica took a small piece, tasted it, made a face but went on eating. "It must be all the traveling that's made us so hungry," she said.

That slowed Jindrax down a little. While Orgs liked food, and sometimes needed it for energy, they didn't need to eat to survive in the same sense humans and animals did. This was strange; in three thousand years of life he didn't remember ever being hungry like this. Toxica must be right. "Yeah, it's all that walking and stuff," he said. "But we can stay here for a few days and rest. Right?"

"Right." But Toxica had that same uneasy expression again.

- - -

Two days later they both knew something terrible was happening to them, and the time had come when they had to admit it.

They were outside, exploring the low hills outside their cave. In truth, they were looking for food. Toxica's magic had gotten weaker - after a few spells resulting in rotten vegetables, a mound of some unspeakable slime, and a muddy old boot; by unspoken agreement they had started to eat whatever fruit and nuts they could find in the forest. It was enough for now - but their appetites, instead of fading back to what was normal for an Org, were growing. Jindrax didn't want to think about what that might mean if they couldn't find a good source of food.

Anyway, he had something to distract him as he spotted a clump of bushes a few feet away. A closer look revealed clusters of black and red fruit hanging from ropy branches. Edible, he was sure, as he bent to smell them. "Hey, Toxica!" he yelled.

"Did you find something?" She appeared from behind a grove of trees and joined him.

"Blackberries, I think." He pulled one off and popped it in his mouth. "They're good!"

"Let me try!"

"Watch the thorns."

She tasted one, smiled, and began to pick and eat them as fast as she could chew and swallow. "You're right, good," she said around a mouthful of berries. Then as Jindrax reached past her towards another branch, she waved a hand in front of her face and wrinkled her nose. "What is that _smell_?"

"Smell?" Now that she mentioned it, he did notice an unpleasant odor in the air. He sniffed, trying to locate it.

"It's _you_!" Toxica exclaimed. "You stink!"

"Me?" Jindrax sniffed again in her direction. "You don't exactly smell like a bed of roses yourself, pal."

"How dare you!" Toxica retreated several steps to another bush and glared at him as she stuffed a few more berries into her mouth. "I do not!"

"Yes, you do. Funny, I never heard of an Org smelling bad unless - you know - smelling bad is his thing. You're getting juice all over yourself, too," Jindrax observed.

"Oh no!" She looked down at her gown in dismay and waved a hand in a magical gesture. The only effect Jindrax could see was that her veil began to shrivel and blacken with a faint hissing sound. Cursing, Toxica snatched it off and threw it down on the ground. "I don't believe this," she exclaimed. "Now my cleaning spells aren't working right, either!"

"Maybe it's the Org Heart," Jindrax said as a thought struck him.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Maybe without the Org Heart, our Org powers are getting weaker."

He could see on her face how much Toxica wanted to deny it as she opened her mouth. But she closed it again, her expression almost - frightened. "Maybe you're right," she said after a moment. "My magic is fading. Both of us are losing our strength. Our abilities."

If even Toxica was afraid - Jindrax couldn't deny his own fear any more. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

Toxica stepped closer. "Well... maybe our powers will come back."

"And if they don't?" He gestured at his face and his horn. "Without magic to disguise us, how are we going to survive among humans?"

"We'll think of something." She patted his shoulder awkwardly. "We're still alive, aren't we? We'll be fine, you'll see."

"I guess you're right. If we could survive Master Org and the Rangers together, we can do anything, right?"

"That's right."

Jindrax looked up to see Toxica with an answering smile on her face, which was no longer hidden by the veil. There was something different... He took a second, closer, look and hesitated, puzzled. "That's weird."

"What?"

"It's just that - the marks on your face look - kinda strange."

"Strange?" Toxica's hands flew to her face. "What do you mean? Where's your mirror?"

"Uh, hold on, I've got it." He produced the small, metal-framed mirror that had once helped him bring his best friend - Toxica - back from the spirit world, and held it up for her. "They look like they're fading," he said as she stared at the reflection of the purple Org marks down both her cheeks.

"No." Her eyes widened before she abruptly turned her back to him. "It's just the sunlight. My marks are still there."

"Whatever you say." He spun the mirror and looked at his own image - looked really closely, searching for any sign of something wrong.

"Bad enough our powers aren't working right. Now you're starting to imagine things too," Toxica was saying crossly.

"Yeah, you're right," Jindrax said absently. He raised a hand to touch his face. Was the surface - softening somehow? The hard smoothness becoming something else? Something - like flesh?

"And we were talking about the way you smell," Toxica went on. "Worry about that, not whether my markings are - are fading! Ridiculous!"

But his body odor was the last thing on Jindrax' mind. He poked his finger against his chin and saw it bend the surface just slightly. And he could feel the pressure. That wasn't all - he reached higher, feeling over his horn. Still reassuringly solid and hard and attached to his skull - but was it a little shorter? He used to have to bend his head to reach the tip. With a shudder of fear and disgust, he dropped both hands and hastily stuffed the mirror back into a pocket.

"Well? Did you hear me?" Toxica demanded, turning around to face him again.

"I heard you. And like I said, I'm not the only one who stinks around here! Besides, your dress is all dirty too!"

"Oh yeah? Well, if you're so smart, what am I supposed to do about it?"

He nodded in the direction of the stream that ran around the hill below them. "Wash it, of course."

"_Wash_ it?"

"Yeah. Just stick it in the water. That makes stuff clean, doesn't it?"

"How should I know?" Toxica glared at him again. "Maybe you should stick yourself in the water, too. Get rid of that smell!"

"Hey, I'll try it if you will!" He started for the stream, heading down the hillside at a quick, angry walk.

"Jindrax, wait!" Her lighter, shorter footsteps followed.

Jindrax reached the water's edge and hesitated, looking down. It looked - cold. And wet. And unpleasant. What if he fell in and drowned?

"Chickening out, huh?" came Toxica's mocking voice.

"I'll show you who's chicken!" He stuck out a foot, intending to just dip his toes, but slipped on a pebble and lost his balance. His whole foot landed in water up to the ankle, and with an undignified yelp he jumped back and shook it off.

"Jindrax! Are you all right?" Toxica's hands grabbed his arm, steadying him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just cold."

"Cold? Maybe we should wait."

"What for? It's not going to get any warmer. And your dress isn't going to get any cleaner if you don't do something."

"Oh, all right." She sounded hesitant. "I'll have to take it off, won't I?"

"I - I guess so."

Without reason or warning, the image of Toxica taking off her dress rose before Jindrax' mental eyes. Toxica without her clothes, with all that smooth skin revealed. Toxica naked, standing in the water and smiling at him. Despite the chill of his fears, a flush of heat ran through the core of his body. _What am I thinking?_ he wondered in amazement. In all their three thousand years together he had never had a feeling like this for Toxica, or anyone else for that matter. That kind of thing was for humans, not Orgs.

It was only one more item to add to the list of strange and alarming changes: their powers, his face, Toxica's marks... He needed to get away, to be alone for a little while. "I'm going to wash too," he said in a subdued voice. "I'll - uh - go over on the other side of those trees."

"That's a good idea," Toxica said. Jindrax took one more look at her before he started away. Were her marks coming back? Or was she - blushing?

- - -

It was twilight before they saw each other again, back at their cave. They shared a silent dinner of a few more berries and a plate of dumplings that Toxica had somehow been able to conjure successfully. Jindrax watched her as unobtrusively as he could, trying to see if her horn was getting shorter too, trying to guess what she was thinking, and finding himself just enjoying being able to see her face without the veil and her silky black hair without the headpiece which she had also discarded. He looked away quickly as he felt another twinge of that odd hot feeling in his gut.

"I guess we should sleep," Toxica said finally, when Jindrax rejoined her after throwing out the remains of the meal and bringing in a little more wood for the fire they had started to use for warmth.

"Yes, I guess we should."

But Toxica made no move to lie down in her usual spot. Instead she wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself.

"Are you cold?" Jindrax asked.

She shook her head, staring into the fire. "No. Just wondering. Wondering what's happening to us. What's _going_ to happen to us."

Her voice was so thin and sad, it seemed to spark a little pain inside his chest, the same kind of pain he had felt when Toxica had been destroyed and he had thought he would never see her again. "It'll be all right," he said, hoping it wasn't a lie. "We've still got each other. We're a team, right?"

"I know." She smiled shakily. "But what good is teamwork when there's nothing to fight? Whatever is happening to us, there seems to be nothing we can do to stop it. And I'm - I'm afraid of where it will end."

"Aw, Toxica, don't worry." Jindrax groped for something to say that might comfort her, and moved closer to reach an arm around her shoulders. "We're pals, aren't we? We've got each other and nothing can stop us, right?" No effect. Maybe something more affectionate would get through. "Toxie? Honey? Baby?"

"Don't call me by such disgustingly human names!" Toxica snapped. Her voice was sharp and angry, her eyes bright with fury as she shot a glare at him before abruptly turning away and covering her face with her hands.

Startled, Jindrax drew back and retorted in irritation, "What's the big deal? It's not like I'm calling you a human." He crossed his arms and rested them on his knees. "Just trying to help. Sure, some weird stuff has been happening, but you've got no reason to pick on me like that. I mean, we're the only Orgs left. We gotta stick together."

"Orgs. I'm not so sure anymore." Toxica had raised her head and slowly turned back to him, eyes brimming with liquid that glistened in the firelight. As he watched in shocked dismay, one drop broke free and ran down her cheek, leaving a damp trail. "Orgs don't cry," she whispered.

TBC...


	2. The Journey

All characters belong to Disney now and Saban at the time. No money being made here.

**A/N:** This is basically just an idea I got while wondering what might have happened to Jindrax and Toxica after they disappeared down that road near the end of Wild Force. It's got a little bit of drama, a little fantasy, a little romance, a little humor, a little angst. I've probably bent canon here and there, but I don't think there's anything that directly contradicts it. Spoilers for the end of the series, by the way!

* * *

The Journey

- - -

"That's when we knew we needed help." Jindrax looked hopefully at Cole Evans' face and then at Taylor Earhardt's as Toxica finished their story.

Cole looked confused but Taylor was staring suspiciously, her arms crossed. "How do we know this isn't some kind of trick?" she demanded.

Cole touched her shoulder. "It's not a trick. They're telling the truth; I can feel it."

"But how's this possible?" Taylor gestured at them. "They're Orgs. How could they become - human?"

"Hey, you don't have to insult us," Jindrax protested.

Taylor frowned, but the doorbell cut off whatever she might have been about to say. "That must be Alyssa or Danny and Max," Cole said as he stood up.

"I'll go with you." Taylor followed him out of the living room with a hostile backwards glance, leaving Jindrax and Toxica sitting alone on the sofa.

"Do you think they'll help us?" Jindrax asked, his voice low.

"Who knows? I've never understood humans."

"Yeah, me either," Jindrax agreed with a sigh.

For all the years of their long lives humans had been the enemy, creatures to be despised as weak, soft, and powerless, no more significant or worthy of respect than an infestation on the Earth. Now - look at the two of them. Once powerful and admired Duke Orgs, reduced to sitting in one of the artificial caves people built to live in, asking for help from the Rangers they had battled so many times. Would they get it? He had been asking himself that since they had knocked on Cole's door and saw the looks of disbelief and mistrust on his face and Taylor's when they said who they were.

Toxica still looked angry. "The nerve of her," she muttered under her breath. "Calling us human."

"Yeah, as if," Jindrax agreed half-heartedly.

Voices announced their host returning, and in a moment Cole and Taylor reappeared with a small, slender young woman who stopped short as soon as she saw them, shock replacing the smile on her face.

"Toxica? Is that you?" Alyssa Enrile asked hesitantly after a moment.

"Yes. Unfortunately."

"And Jindrax??" She looked even more astonished, her eyes wide.

"Yep, it's me all right."

"Amazing... If I didn't recognize your voice I wouldn't believe it." She came closer and seemed about to bend and reach out to touch his face, but stopped and took a seat on the couch facing theirs across a small coffee table. "How did this happen?"

"That's what _we'd_ like to know."

"I can fill you in later about what they already told us," Cole said. "Jindrax, Toxica - your powers were fading, and you were starting to lose your Org appearance. Was that when you decided to come back to Turtle Cove?"

Taylor frowned. "You said that was about a week after we defeated Master Org. A month ago now, just about," she said with a return of her suspicious expression. "What were you doing all that time?"

"For a while we were sitting around in that cave trying to find enough to eat and watching our horns shrink," Jindrax said.

"We couldn't very well let anyone see us while we were changing," Toxica added. Her voice was thin, and she hugged her arms around herself, her eyes staring into that same void of despair that had swallowed both of them during those weeks of being not-Org and not-human. "We didn't even want to see ourselves..."

_Jindrax tossed another branch into the fire, and watched the leaves catch into small flares of sparks and flame. He glanced at Toxica, sitting huddled in her usual spot at the edge of the flickering circle of firelight, leaning against a convenient rock. This was how they seemed to spend all their evenings now; after taking care of eating and the other, even more humiliating necessities of their newly almost-human bodies, they simply sat and watched the fire burn. _

_Another look at Toxica. She had changed. Her horn was almost gone, just a stub left, no bigger than a Putrid's - but he had almost gotten used to that. The change that really alarmed him was the bleak emptiness in her eyes, the hopelessness in her voice. _

"_Toxica..." he said. _

"_What is it?" She didn't even look up. _

"_Are you all right?" A stupid question, and they both knew it. _

_She only shrugged, still not looking at him. The same way she hadn't looked at him for days now. He knew he had changed too, but couldn't she even stand to see his face, after all they had been through together? If she was upset, how did she think he felt? _

_Irritated, he said, "It's not so bad for you, you know. You always looked almost human." _

_Toxica's eyes narrowed as she finally looked up. "That's a horrible thing to say!" she snapped. _

"_It's true! Except for the horn and the marks, you could have passed for human!" _

"_So could you, from the neck down! And now - now you could walk through Turtle Cove and no one would look twice!" Toxica sneered. "But you don't know that, do you? You're afraid to even look at yourself!" _

"_I'm not afraid! And I'll prove it!" Jindrax jumped up and stomped out of the main part of the cave, leaving her sitting by the fire. He paused just inside the entrance. It was night, but the moon was out, the forest around them visible in its silvery light. It was enough light to see himself by. Toxica was right; he had been afraid to look, careful to avoid even catching sight of his own reflection in the water. But now he had to know, to face the worst. _

_Hands shaking, he fumbled his mirror out and held it up. Hesitantly he turned so the moonlight fell on his face. And he stared. _

_A stranger stared back, so unfamiliar, so not him, that for a moment of denial he looked around wildly to see if someone else had sneaked up behind him. When he looked again, the stranger was still there. Not a bad face, really, he noted with a kind of numb detachment. High cheekbones and slightly slanted dark eyes, like Toxica's. A straight, thin mouth. The only familiar thing was the long blond hair that framed the very human face that had somehow replaced his own. _

_Up until then Toxica was the only one who had cried, but when she found him he was hunched over the mirror, trembling at the strangeness of warm, wet drops running down his cheeks. Silently she stepped close behind him, slipped her arms around him, and leaned her head on his shoulder._

"It must have been hard for you." Alyssa's voice was hesitant, but filled with sympathy.

"You could say that," Toxica said.

Cole looked up as the doorbell buzzed again. "Hold on, that must be the others."

In only a few moments he was back, leading two more of the Rangers who had so recently been Jindrax and Toxica's most bitter enemies. Max Cooper and Danny Delgado entered behind him - and stopped, staring with identical expressions of astonishment.

"Toxica?" Danny asked.

"That can't be Jindrax!" Max exclaimed.

"Yes, it's us," Toxica replied with a sigh.

"That's incredible!"

"What happened to you?"

"I can't believe it!"

"_Jindrax??_"

Taylor interrupted with a sharp: "Guys! Let them talk."

"They started to change a few days after we destroyed Master Org and the Org Heart," Cole explained. "We can fill you in later. Right now..." He took his seat again and leaned forward eagerly, facing them. "What happened after that night in the cave? Was that when you decided to come back?"

Jindrax found himself with five pairs of eyes regarding him with expectant curiosity. "Yeah," he said. "We waited a couple of days, until - until our horns were gone completely." He started to reach up to his head, but let his hand drop back to his lap. It still depressed him to feel only hair and scalp where the horn that defined a Duke Org should be. "Then we knew we could pass for human. So we started back to Turtle Cove."

"When we left, when we still had our Org powers, we could travel all day and night," Toxica said quietly. "On the way back, we had to rest. We had to eat, and sleep. It was slower."

"What about your clothes?" Alyssa gestured at the human outfits they were wearing - a sweater for Toxica, a shirt for Jindrax, jeans and sneakers for both - not their usual style and flair, but inconspicuous, comfortable, and good for travel. "And where did you stay at night? How did you eat?"

"We - improvised." Toxica's smile was the first one Jindrax had seen on her since the day they had left the cave and started on their return journey. Not that he could blame her; the trip had certainly had its rough spots, a lot of them. It had started out with only a thin hope, and something left over from their more magical days...

"_Org Express. Never leave the cave without it." _

_Toxica eyed the magical credit card in Jindrax' fingers and smiled. The expression faded as she asked, "Will it still work?" _

"_Only one way to find out." _

"_If they arrest us, at least we'll have beds to sleep on and enough to eat," she said, rather grimly. _

"_How about if the card doesn't work, we just run like hell." _

"_Sounds like most of your plans." But Toxica gave him a wan smile to show she was teasing. A good sign, after the days of watching her sit huddled and miserable. _

_To be fair, he had been just as miserable, but he had to be strong now, for Toxica. Pulling his newly human face into what he hoped was a happy expression, Jindrax led the way out of the cave. After a few yards he realized he was alone, and turned around to see Toxica standing behind him, looking back. _

"_What's wrong?" he asked. _

"_I'm not sure. I hated that cave. But somehow - I'm sad to leave it." Toxica sighed and shivered slightly. _

"_I guess it seemed safe. Like home." _

"_I guess you're right. But we can't stay here." She resolutely turned her face away from the cave and towards the path leading towards the nearby highway - and human civilization. _

_The exhaustion of walking several miles had almost overcome their fears when they entered the first clothing store they saw, and started the task of finding something to replace their now worn and dirty garments. It was a logical but unpleasant step - it somehow seemed like giving up the last traces of their lives as Orgs - but they could hardly continue to travel in a jester's outfit and a long paneled gown. _

_The clerks and other customers were staring. "Costume party gone hideously wrong," he growled._

"So - you paid with the magic card?" Taylor asked. "And it worked?"

"Yep. When we Orgs cast a spell, we don't fool around," Jindrax said. "Didn't," he corrected himself unhappily.

"Let me get this straight. You paid for clothes, and who knows what else - with a fake credit card."

"Not fake. Magic."

"What happens when those charges go through? Do funds get transferred from - from the Org National Bank? That's stealing!" Taylor looked angry now.

"We had no choice!" Toxica matched her glare for glare.

"There's always a choice!"

"Taylor, calm down." Cole laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "They did the only thing they could. Anyway, we want to hear the rest of the story, don't we?"

Nods greeted this, but before Taylor could respond the doorbell rang again.

"Who could that be?" Alyssa asked.

"I didn't contact anyone else." Cole got up and left the room.

"More people. Starting to turn into a party here," Jindrax muttered. "Where's the beer and pizza?"

"Maybe you can order some," Taylor said with a disapproving eyebrow raised. "Put it on your credit card."

"Very funny. Ha ha."

They were saved from further hostilities by Cole's return, this time with the one remaining member of the Wild Force Rangers. Merrick walked in with a smile for his former teammates - and stopped with the same look of astonishment that all of them had displayed. It was an expression Jindrax decided had gotten very old very fast.

"Yes, it's really us, Jindrax and Toxica," he said irritably. "Yes, we look human. Yes, it's incredible and unbelievable. No, we don't know how it happened. And yes, that's why we're back."

Merrick surprised him, though, by saying, "I knew, but it's not the same as actually seeing it. Amazing."

"You knew?" Cole asked. "I had no way of contacting you, but you knew?"

"The wind brought me back, and Zen-Aku told me what to expect." He nodded at Jindrax and Toxica.

"Zen-Aku? He's back? Where is he?" The other former Rangers tensed.

Merrick smiled at their reaction and said, "He's... nearby. But don't worry, he's no threat to us now."

"How's it possible that he's alive, after we destroyed him?" Taylor asked.

"He's not exactly alive; he doesn't exist in a physical sense. He's... maybe 'ghost' is a good word. The ghost of the creature that was once a part of me, a real but not quite living reminder of my own past mistakes that will always follow me on my journeys."

A bunch of mystical nonsense, Jindrax thought. On the other hand, it was hardly the strangest thing he had ever heard of. He said nothing as Merrick looked at them again and added, "You must have been telling the others your story. Don't let me interrupt any longer."

"Yes, go on," Alyssa urged in her soft voice. "What happened after you got those clothes? Did you come straight here?"

"Well, not exactly," Toxica said with a glance at Jindrax. "We were - unavoidably detained for a while."

"_Oh look, cable TV!" Jindrax crossed the hotel room in a bound. "Now we can find out what the humans think is so wonderful about television. How do you turn this thing on, anyway?" He jumped as the screen lit up, and turned to see Toxica pointing a small device at him. "Oh yeah, the remote control! Lemme see!" He began to flip channels as Toxica moved around the room. _

"_It's pretty small," she remarked. _

"_Uh huh." On the television, a man was driving a shiny car along a city street, with everyone he passed staring and exclaiming in admiration. _

"_And the beds are so soft. No wonder humans are so weak." _

"_I guess." Now a woman was pulling a towel out of a drying machine and rubbing it against her face with an expression of ecstasy. _

"_But I'm tired enough to sleep on anything. I couldn't sleep at all on that bus last night, and then we must have walked for miles looking for a place to stay." _

"_Yeah, tired." On-screen, a baby was performing some kind of dance step in diapers that were supposed to be superior to any others, according to the adults excitedly talking about them. Jindrax scowled in disbelief, hardly noticing as Toxica went into the bathroom and closed the door. He was only dimly aware of the sounds of movement and water running as the commercials he had been watching gave way to a scene of people being asked questions and screaming hysterically every time they got a right answer. _

"_I always knew humans were strange, but now I know they're completely insane," he muttered, pressing the off button on the remote control and turning as he heard the bathroom door open again. Whatever else he meant to say died a quick death at what he saw. _

_He had two quick thoughts: that they had forgotten to buy sleeping clothes, and that Toxica might be naked under the long t-shirt that was the only visible item she was wearing. It did nothing to hide a pair of legs that seemed all long, smooth, graceful curves that went up and disappeared under only a thin and very flimsy-looking layer of cloth. Jindrax felt his body react in a way that was unexpected, uncomfortable, and excruciatingly embarrassing. To his relief, Toxica seemed not to notice anything as she pulled back the covers on one of the twin beds and got under them. _

_She was frowning, and pressed a hand to her cheek and then her throat. "Jindrax?" she said. _

"_Uh... yeah?" _

"_I feel funny." _

"_You too?" Was it possible she felt the same way? And if she did - what should he do about it? What would she expect him to do? What would a human do? Not that he wanted to do __that__, exactly, but the idea wasn't entirely repulsive, and starting to look better every minute, and maybe she wanted to talk about-- _

"_I feel hot, and I'm so tired, and I ache all over, and my throat hurts, and my eyes and nose are all runny and watery..." Her eyes widened and she wailed, "I'm sick! I think I'm dying!"_

"So - you caught a cold?" Cole asked. He seemed to be trying not to laugh.

"Yes." Toxica raised her chin and glared at him. "I'm sure it's very funny to you. Humans are used to such things, but for me it was terrible!"

"Yeah. And as soon as she started to get better, I got sick too. It was a week before we could leave that hotel," Jindrax said gloomily. "We bought every pill, spray, drop, and liquid in the drugstore, but none of them made us all smiley and happy like the people in the commercials. I guess they don't work like that for Orgs."

"They don't work like that for humans either, except on TV," Taylor said, grinning.

"What did you do then?" Danny asked.

"We came here. It was only another day's travel."

"How did you find me?" Cole asked.

"That was easy," Toxica said. "We called information and asked for you."

"Right." Cole glanced around at the room they were all sitting in. "This is my parents' old house - some relatives kept it under their name for all these years, hoping they'd come back some day. Now it's mine. I had the phone connected when I moved in after we left the Animarium."

There was a brief silence, broken by Merrick's thoughtful voice. "Jindrax, Toxica - I understand you came to ask for our help. What do you want us to do for you?"

"What do we want?" Toxica exchanged a glance with Jindrax. "Why, to be the way we were, of course. To be Orgs again."

- - -


	3. Island in the Sky

All characters belong to Disney now and Saban at the time. No money being made here.

**A/N:** This is basically just an idea I got while wondering what might have happened to Jindrax and Toxica after they disappeared down that road near the end of Wild Force. It's got a little bit of drama, a little fantasy, a little romance, a little humor, a little angst. I've probably bent canon here and there, but I don't think there's anything that directly contradicts it. Spoilers for the end of the series, by the way!

* * *

Island in the Sky

- - -

They lagged behind the six former Rangers as they all emerged from the portal to look out over a land of tall trees, craggy hills, and the distant sounds of animal cries. The air was fresh, sweet, and crisp up here, countered by the rays of a warm afternoon sun. Jindrax looked up to see the yellow of a giant metallic bird glide overhead and saw Taylor pause with a smile and a wave for the Eagle Zord she had commanded in battle, before she hurried eagerly after her teammates.

"Feels strange to be here again," he said.

"Very strange." Toxica sighed as she paused for a longer look around. "I was on the Animarium twice before, but I never even noticed how beautiful it is."

"You were looking at it through Org eyes." Eyes that had only looked for ways to destroy, Jindrax remembered. He hadn't noticed the beauty then either, only the vulnerability of the Rangers caught by surprise as they slept. The same people who were trying to help them now.

Toxica glanced at him, brows creasing. "Come on, let's catch up," she said after a moment.

When they reached the clearing in front of the Princess's temple and sacred pool, she was already greeting her friends with a happy round of smiles and hugs. Shayla seemed more subdued as she spoke to Merrick last of all, but her eyes were bright and lingered on his face. He ducked his head and mumbled but held her hands longer than necessary. Jindrax watched, and knew he would never have noticed the subtle interaction a couple of months ago.

"It's so wonderful to see you all again!" Princess Shayla said warmly. "You spent so much time as Rangers; I've wondered what's happened to you now that it's over. I hope you're all doing well."

"I've applied to college," Cole said. "The same school where Alyssa's going." He grinned and tapped himself on the chest. "I want to be a veterinarian, and help animals."

"Oh, that's perfect for you!" Shayla exclaimed.

"Yeah, he probably already knows more about animals than most vets," Taylor said. "And being able to talk to them doesn't hurt."

Shayla smiled at that, along with the others, and asked, "And what about you, Taylor? Have you gone back to the Air Force?"

"I intend to, as soon as they process the paperwork. Meanwhile, I'm staying at Cole's house."

"And you know you're welcome to stay after that, too," Cole said with a glance at her.

"I hope it won't be necessary, but thanks." Taylor smiled at him.

"Danny? Max?" Shayla asked next.

"Well, I had been living here on the Animarium, but Max still had his apartment," Danny said, ducking his head self-consciously. "So - I moved in with him."

"Yeah, and it's worked out great," Max said. "In a week we're leaving on a world tour together. Figure we'll take a vacation, have some fun before we have to deal with jobs and stuff." They exchanged a smile.

"I'm so happy for both of you," Shayla murmured, as the others nodded. "Alyssa, how is school? And your father?"

"Good, both of them. I'll get my degree at the end of the year and start looking for a job myself, as a teacher."

"You'll make a wonderful teacher." Shayla smiled again, and clasped her hands before continuing, "And - and Merrick?"

"You know me; I go where the wind takes me," Merrick said, and nothing more.

Finally, Shayla looked at Jindrax and Toxica - a long look that seemed to go beneath their altered surfaces, and filled with more acceptance and less surprise than he had expected. She crossed the space between them and took a deep breath before speaking. "Jindrax. Toxica. When the Org Heart was destroyed I suspected this might happen, but I wasn't sure."

"You _know_ what's happened to us?" Toxica exclaimed.

"I think so."

"Well, what is it? Tell us!" Jindrax said.

"Let's sit down first." Shayla extended an arm towards the rocky seats scattered near her pool of sacred water.

They all followed and found places. Jindrax saw the former Rangers smile at each other as if remembering all the times they must have sat here and talked, and planned. So unlike the dark, cold cave of Master Org, where he and Toxica had struggled to become favored and more powerful, and had found only treachery from their own kind. Again, he felt something new and human - this time, envy of their friendship and trust, their obvious eagerness to help and support each other.

"Go on, Princess," Alyssa said when they were all settled.

"Well... I'm not positive about any of this, of course."

"Just say it," Jindrax said impatiently.

"You must know the legend - that all higher living beings must have hearts, yet Orgs have none. In their place, the Org Heart was created. Orgs cannot survive without it, even though it is hidden from the world most of the time."

"Yes, we know." Toxica's voice was subdued.

"I believe that it's true. There have been no other Orgs since the Heart was destroyed. None remained alive - except you two."

"How?" Jindrax asked. "We felt the Heart die, but we didn't die with it. How could that be?"

Shayla looked directly at Toxica. "Do you remember when you fell in the sacred water?"

"Of course. It hurt, but I lived because I had let Onikage cut off my horn."

"That wouldn't have saved you." Shayla looked at the pool of sparkling water at the side of the clearing, the innocent and beautiful water that was so deadly to Orgs, and went on in a softer tone. "Nothing without a heart can survive the touch of the sacred water, yet you touched it twice - and the first time was before you removed your horn. No, it was something deeper that kept you alive." She returned her gaze to Toxica, and then Jindrax. "You both had already started to grow hearts. Real ones. Human ones."

"Grow hearts? How could a heart just start growing in them?" Danny asked, looking faintly repulsed by the idea.

"She doesn't mean it literally," Taylor said with a disapproving frown.

"Taylor's right," Shayla said. "Orgs have the usual organ to pump blood through their bodies. What I mean is that part of the mind - the soul, perhaps - that can feel affection, joy, grief, gratitude. In humans, it's the part that sees beauty in the world, and can forgive an enemy, or inspire loyalty and sacrifice. The part that makes life worthwhile; the part that - loves." Her eyes strayed again to Merrick for an instant.

Cole snapped his fingers. "That's right! When Jindrax and Toxica came to us wanting to help get you out of Master Org's cave, I could read their hearts! I could tell we could trust them. I never sensed anything from any other Org, but I did with them."

Toxica had put a hand over her chest, as if trying to feel a change. "What do you mean, we started to have hearts? When? How could that be possible?"

Shayla smiled. "I don't know when. Possibly many years ago, maybe even centuries. And I don't really know how either. But I can tell you why."

"So - why?" Jindrax demanded as she paused, he was sure for dramatic effect.

"Very simple. You got them from each other."

"Each other?" Jindrax and Toxica exchanged a confused glance.

"Yes." Shayla rose and moved a step closer to them. "At some time during all those years you spent hiding among humans, waiting for Master Org to return, you became friends. You began to care about each other. When you were with other Orgs again, you found them to be - cold, unfeeling, treacherous. That is the way Orgs are and always have been; it was you who had changed, and you changed even more as you drew together and tried to help and protect each other. When Toxica was destroyed, Jindrax, you grieved. When he found a way to return you to this world, Toxica, you felt joy, and you were grateful. No true Org would have felt any of those emotions. Even then, you had become - well, partly human. The destruction of the Org Heart only completed the process, by destroying the Org that was left in you."

It was crazy. Impossible. He had made Toxica human, and she had done the same to him? And yet, as Jindrax stared at his best friend, something inside him could feel the pieces of the puzzle of their transformation falling into place. It fit, all of it.

"It's crazy, but - I think it's true," Toxica said, so faintly he almost couldn't hear her. She seemed to collect herself, and turned back to Shayla. "But knowing why doesn't tell us how to fix it."

"Ah." Shayla returned to her seat and clasped her hands together. "You want to return to being true Orgs again."

"Yes." Toxica looked anxious and almost apologetic. "We want our powers back. Our strength. We don't like being human: getting hungry and tired, being sick. And some day we'd get old and die! I don't know how all of you do it - it's too - too hard."

"Yeah," Jindrax added. "We wanted to get away from Master Org and find ourselves, but we didn't think we'd find a couple of humans. No offense, but we're _Orgs_. That's what we've always been, and what we want to go on being."

"I understand." Shayla gave them another long and considering look, long enough to make Jindrax wonder uncomfortably exactly what she was seeing. Did she think their request was selfish? Stupid? Or only impossible? When she spoke again her voice gave nothing away; it was low and firm with no sign of outward disapproval. "There may be a way. Soon I will return to my sleep, waiting for the next time the Wild Zords and I are needed. In time, in a few thousand years, Master Org will return, and the Orgs with him."

"But - we destroyed him!" Max protested.

"You destroyed the body he was using, the body that once belonged to Viktor Adler, but Master Org will return. It's inevitable and unchanging, part of the eternal cycle of good and evil. And - along with him, the Org Heart will be regenerated. Jindrax, Toxica, at that time - if you want it enough - if you reject your human side, accept the Heart and allow the seeds of Org still within you to take over, you may become the way you were again."

"Just like that?" Taylor asked. "They can turn back into Orgs just because they want to?"

"Dr. Adler was human, and became Org. The process started when he swallowed the seeds of Master Org, but that was only the beginning. He gave up his human heart, and that's what Jindrax and Toxica must do in order to get their wish."

There was silence as they all tried to absorb that. Finally Alyssa spoke hesitantly, asking the question that was in Jindrax' own mind. "But - but Master Org won't return for thousands of years. How are they going to live that long?"

"When I return to my sleep, anyone still on the Animarium will sleep with me. They can stay here, and awaken with me... when I am needed to form a new team of Rangers to battle the Orgs once again."

Seven pairs of eyes focused on Jindrax and Toxica. Seven minds must be wondering the same thing he was, the question he had to ask even though his mouth went dry at the thought. "Would we go back to the way we were?" Jindrax asked. "I mean - back to serving Master Org? Back to trying to destroy you?" He turned from Shayla to Toxica. "Back to not being friends?" Toxica's downcast eyes and tight mouth told him she had thought of the same possibility.

"I don't know," Shayla replied. "I hope you would remember enough of what has changed you to no longer want to fight me or destroy humanity. But - I don't know."

This time it was Toxica who asked the question. "You would do that for us? Help us even though it might mean we'd turn against you?"

"Each creature must find its own path, for good or evil. Yes, you are welcome to stay and share my sleep, if that's what you want."

Was it? For the first time, Jindrax wondered. Perhaps the Princess sensed that, because she smiled and stood again. "In fact, all of you are welcome to stay here tonight," she said. "We can talk again in the morning. Right now, my friends... my Rangers... you're here again, we have time to relax and talk, there's plenty of food and plenty of places to sleep in your old rooms in the temple. What do you say?"

Looks were exchanged, and smiles. Finally Cole said with a grin, "Only if I can sleep in my tree again!"

- - -

Twilight in the Animarium was filled with the softness of fading daylight, a hint of coolness on the gentle breeze, and the faint and distant calls of the Wild Zords as they sought out favorite resting places. The flickering of the fire they sat around seemed to echo the deeper colors of sunset spread across a sky that felt closer than anywhere on the Earth below. The forest surrounded them with darkness, isolating the little circle of smiling faces, happy in their brief reunion.

A circle that did not include him and Toxica, Jindrax knew. The two of them sat at the edge of the forest, letting the shadows of the trees keep them as inconspicuous as possible, quietly watching. Jindrax felt comfortable in body after a simple but satisfying meal, but increasingly uncomfortable in mind. Every minute brought the night closer, and after the night would come the morning. Where would they be spending the next night? Back on the surface of the Earth, or here? And would it last a few hours - or a few millennia?

As the last colors in the sky faded to black studded with the sparkle of stars, he saw Danny and Max stand up. There was a brief round of goodnights before they turned towards the temple entrance, Danny's arm circling Max's shoulders as they disappeared inside. Shayla was next, standing and holding out her hand to Merrick, then leading him towards the forest not far from where Jindrax sat with Toxica. Faintly he heard her murmur something about forgetting that she was a princess, just for this one night, and Merrick's even softer words of assent, before they vanished into the trees.

Only Cole, Taylor, and Alyssa remained, moving closer together around the fire at the other side of the clearing as it began to burn down, the companionable tones of their voices only a low and indistinct murmur. Jindrax turned to Toxica, seeing her face made even more beautiful as the silvery light of the newly risen moon caught it. He wondered bleakly whether he would still see that beauty after a sleep of thousands of years and waking to become an Org again.

"We need to talk," Toxica said.

"Yeah, I know."

"We came here to become Orgs again, and now we have the chance. But we don't want to jump into anything - do we?"

"Good point! We should think about this first."

Toxica hunched her shoulders, arms wrapping around herself. "We've changed so much. Started - feeling things we're not used to feeling." Her eyes came up to his face and slid away again. "We need to be rational about this. Sensible. Make a logical decision."

Jindrax almost said that it wasn't a logical situation, but stopped himself. "Yeah, logical, that's me," he said.

"If we stay here with the Princess, we could go back to the way we were. Be ourselves again. Have our powers back. We were created as Orgs; that's what we know how to be; that's what we were meant to be."

Jindrax swallowed an unexpected pang of - disappointment? - and nodded.

"On the other hand, if we leave and live as humans - well, we won't ever have to fear Master Org again."

"I sure don't want to have to serve _him_ again."

"Me either. But these human bodies..." Toxica looked down at herself. "They're so weak. They get sick, and old, and die."

"Well, yeah."

"Of course, if we stay with the Princess, there's no guarantee we'll become Orgs again."

"We'd be taking a big chance, I guess."

"But it _is_ a chance. Could we stand to live with humans? To do stupid human things? Have to go to the bathroom, and brush our teeth, and worry about how we smell, and how we look? Have to get jobs and think about things like money, and... and..."

She was right about that; he didn't know if he could ever get used to the needs and peculiarities of this body. "Yeah, I dunno," Jindrax agreed, shaking his head. "Stupid humans."

"Jindrax..."

"Yeah?"

"What do you want to do? Stay, or go back to Earth and be human?"

"I..." His mind gone completely blank, Jindrax groped for an answer Toxica might think was sensible and logical, and came up with nothing. "Well, isn't it obvious?" he bluffed.

For some reason her shoulders slumped as she went on slowly, "If one of us wants to stay human, and one of us wants to go back to being an Org..."

"Split up?" The idea had never occurred to him, and it sent a stab of fear through him now. Suddenly sure of one answer out of all the uncertainties, Jindrax reached for Toxica's hand and lifted it between them, clasping it tightly, fingers intertwined. "No. _This_ is what I want. The only thing that's really important. Whether we're Orgs or humans, we stay together. Forever."

He blinked at her expression as her eyes widened and her lips trembled. "And if we go back to being Orgs and stop caring about each other?" she asked. "Orgs don't care. Orgs don't love. I don't want that to happen to us again."

"We can't let it happen. We won't, no matter what it takes. If we're not friends - well, what's the point of anything?"

"What's the point?" she echoed, and gave him a smile as soft and silver as moonlight. "Jindrax?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you think it was stupid and human if I kiss you?"

"Um - well, let's try it and find out."

Slowly, cautiously, hesitantly, they leaned closer and fitted their mouths together. Her lips were warm, and exciting in a way he knew was uniquely human. But it didn't feel stupid at all.

TBC...


	4. Change of Minds

All characters belong to Disney now and Saban at the time. No money being made here. 

**A/N:** This is basically just an idea I got while wondering what might have happened to Jindrax and Toxica after they disappeared down that road near the end of Wild Force. It's got a little bit of drama, a little fantasy, a little romance, a little humor, a little angst. I've probably bent canon here and there, but I don't think there's anything that directly contradicts it. Spoilers for the end of the series, by the way! 

With many thanks to MsDany for the beta, and to everyone who's reviewed!

* * *

Change of Minds

- - -

Jindrax yawned and stretched as he emerged from the temple entrance into the bright sunshine of a new day on the Animarium, and turned his face up, squinting. He smiled at the memory of the first time, only weeks ago, when he had felt the warmth of the sun on skin barely starting to be human. Just one of so many new things he had been feeling, some good, some bad, some - amazing. It felt good, he decided, not just the sun but the cool air, the smells of the forest, the song of a bird overhead. And the heady exhilaration of a fateful decision made that had taken from him a weight he hadn't even realized had been there. 

His eyes caught a patch of red dropping from a tree overhanging the clearing in front of the Princess's sacred pool, as Cole swung from a branch and landed neatly on the stony ground. "Hey, Jindrax!" he exclaimed with a grin. 

"Hey yourself, Jungle Boy. You don't mind if I call you Jungle Boy, do you?" 

"I grew up in a forest, not a jungle, but... I consider it a compliment. Did you have a good night?" 

"Yeah. It kinda felt like home again; that temple's almost like a cave." 

"Me too. I've missed my nights up in the branches." Cole made a face. "Gotta be civilized now, and sleep indoors, on a bed." 

"How awful for you. Hey, you guys have a bathroom around here or do I have to hide behind a tree like last night?" 

"There's a couple of outhouses by the river." Cole pointed. "I prefer the woods myself, so much cleaner than a little room. Recycling the food I eat back to nature, you know?" 

"Yeah, well, nature's great," Jindrax agreed. "To look at. From a distance." 

Cole laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, I'll walk with you to the outhouse." 

"That's right, urinating together is some kind of human male bonding ritual, isn't it?" 

"Well, not exactly..." 

- - -

The rest of them were waiting when Jindrax and Cole returned to the clearing, Princess Shayla in front of her pool with her usual sweet smile, Max and Danny sharing a stone bench, Alyssa perched on a rock. Taylor paced between them wearing her usual impatient expression, and Merrick was a little distance away, leaning against a tree and watching quietly. Toxica stood in the midst of the loose group, looking nervous but her eyes brightening when she saw them approaching. 

"Good morning!" Shayla greeted him cheerfully. "I hope you rested well." 

"Yeah, I feel great." Jindrax smiled at Toxica, feeling a strange but not at all unpleasant combination of shyness, awkwardness, and sheer happiness in her presence. "Really great." 

"Good." Shayla clasped her hands, looking expectant. "Toxica tells us the two of you have something to say to us." 

"Yeah, we do," Jindrax said. "But Toxica can tell you better than I can. Brains of the outfit, right, Toxie?" 

"You're the one who figured it out before I did. That was pretty smart." 

"But you can say things so much better." 

"That's not true, I like the way you say things-" 

Taylor cut in, her voice amused. "If you two can stop admiring each other for a minute, maybe one of you can tell us what's going on?" 

"All right, I'll start," Toxica said. She looked around at all of them and then faced Shayla directly. Jindrax noticed the hesitancy in her voice and the way she shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. He felt pretty much the same way - not that he thought the Rangers and the Princess would disapprove of what they were about to say, but simply that it seemed so strange. So strange that for a panicked moment he wondered if Toxica might have changed her mind - until she began to speak. 

"We came to you wanting to go back to being Orgs. That's what we've always been, and it's all we know. We missed the power, and we didn't like a lot of the things that came along with having human bodies." Toxica exchanged a wry glance with Jindrax before going on. 

"Both of us thought all we wanted was to be the way we used to be again. Last night, when you said it was possible, we started to think about what that might mean. We might go all the way back to being Orgs, and be as cold and heartless as the Master himself. We might stop being friends, and stop caring about each other. Then we started to think about all the human feelings we've been having in the last few weeks. All the things we've seen in a new way, and noticed like we never did before. Everything we've been through. Some of it wasn't so nice - but some of it has been pretty wonderful." Again she smiled at Jindrax. 

"We had a long talk last night, and what we both think is... well... We've lived for over three thousand years, but we've seen and felt more in the last month than in all that time before. If we stay with you, Princess, and wait for Master Org, we might get our powers back and live for another few thousand years. But now we know that if we can't see any beauty in the world and just want to destroy it, if we stop caring about anything but power, if we stop _feeling_ all the things we know now we can feel, we wouldn't really be alive at all." 

There was silence as her voice, which had grown louder and more confident, now trailed off. Toxica looked around again, with a return of her nervousness. "Orgs don't have friends. Orgs can't love. We want to stay human. Maybe you think we're idiots to change our minds, after we came all this way to get turned back the way we were..." 

"No, not idiots," Taylor said, blinking and quickly wiping her eyes as if hoping no one would notice. 

"I think it's wonderful," Alyssa added. 

"Jindrax?" Shayla asked. "Do you feel the same way?" 

"Yeah. Told you she could say it better than me." 

"Then it's settled," Shayla said, her smile widening. "I'm glad you've found your path, and that it's the right one for everyone." 

As if that was a signal, the others all crowded around, smiling, laughing, shaking hands - a gesture Jindrax still found very peculiar, but he shrugged and did it. When in a human body, do as the humans do. 

"Hey, you can stay at my house until you get on your feet!" Cole exclaimed. 

"And you could live in our place while we're on our trip!" Danny said eagerly. "If that's okay with you, Max." 

Max seemed less enthusiastic, but he shrugged. "We'll be gone for a couple of months. That'll give you a little time to look for jobs and a place of your own." 

"I'll talk to my father," Alyssa said. "He's always looking for martial arts teachers with unusual styles." 

"Actually, I was thinking maybe we'd go into show business," Jindrax said. He reached a hand into the air and saw their eyes widen as a knife appeared in it. "I'm still the Master of Blades, after all - even if I have to do some of it the hard way now." He spun the weapon into the air, twisted to catch it behind his back and made it disappear; then showed them where he had slipped it inside his sleeve. 

"And I'm still Mistress of Magic." Toxica held out one hand, snapped her fingers, and smiled as a single bright flame appeared in her palm. "I can still do small things like this with real magic, and I can learn to fake the rest." 

"We're naturals," Jindrax said. "Maybe we'll go into acting. We've certainly got the looks!" 

"As long as you don't become dogcatchers again." 

"Ugh, no." 

"I can see you're going to do fine," Alyssa murmured. "And I have to get going, or I'll be late for class." 

"Oh man, me too!" Cole exclaimed. 

"We'd all better be going," Merrick said more quietly. "Shayla... Princess, I..." 

"You don't have to say anything. I know." She took his hands, smiling, but her eyes were sad as she leaned in and kissed him lightly. Merrick accepted the gesture with a solemn expression, and raised a hand to touch her cheek. 

The others said their goodbyes quietly and solemnly, knowing it would be forever. Finally as they were on their way back to the portal Jindrax took one last look back, seeing the Princess still standing there with a hand raised in farewell. He wondered what kind of world she would wake up in, a few thousand years from now, with everyone she had ever known long dead and forgotten. This wasn't the first time, either. Thanks to the Orgs, she was committed to an eternity of brief times in the world she was sworn to protect yet had no real part in. 

"What's wrong, Jindrax?" 

"Nothing. Just thinking how lonely the Princess must be. I kinda feel sorry for her." 

"You seem to like her a lot, don't you?" Toxica arched a scowling brow at him, but her eyes softened when she looked back at the solitary figure still waving at them. "Well, I guess I feel sorry for her too." 

- - -

They said goodbye again, this time only temporarily, in a quiet side street in Turtle Cove. Alyssa and Cole had to leave for their classes, Taylor had an appointment, and Danny and Max headed for home. Merrick smiled and shook hands and disappeared as quickly and quietly as he had come. Jindrax and Toxica declined a ride to Cole's house and started towards downtown. After a block their fingers touched, and they began to hold hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was, now. 

"So, Toxie, what now?" Jindrax asked. 

"Now, like right now? Well, after deciding our entire futures, I'm kind of hungry. How about lunch?" 

"Good idea! Hey, let's go someplace really fancy! My treat!" 

She smiled and shook her head. "And how are you planning to pay for this fancy place?" 

"No problem." With a twist of the wrist Jindrax had his trusty Org Express card in his fingers, and flourished it in front of her with a bow. "My dear, I have plastic." 

Toxica gave him a look that tried to be stern but failed to hide the laughter underneath. "You know we shouldn't be using that thing anymore! What would Taylor say?" 

"Who cares? Hey, no one can expect us to reform overnight. Not completely, anyway. How about it? One last time?" 

"One last time." Toxica took his hand again and this time laughed out loud. "After all, we're only human." 

- END - 


End file.
